Tuesday, 10 June 2014

Upsteps next for the chop?

The Upsteps in Birkdale

Slightly saddened to hear that the Upsteps in Birkdale, Southport, is likely to close in about a month's time if no buyer can be found. The pub has been on the market for quite a while now. It has been allowed to run down so that it doesn't particularly look inviting, but with four cosy separate drinking areas, it is potentially attractive inside. It's in the middle of an established residential area with only one other pub, the Blundell Arms, nearby, so there should be no problem with potential customers. It tried real ale a few months ago, but it wasn't selling so they stopped, as they understandably couldn't afford to keep pouring unsold casks down the drain.

Unfortunately it hasn't got the best reputation, a problem that is difficult to shake off. With the smarter pubs in the town centre only 15 to 20 minutes walk or a short taxi ride away, its owners have made no effort to compete in recent years. I can't help feeling that this is another example of managed decline: let a pub become run down and then redevelop it because it has become unviable. I'm not certain what will happen: demolition or conversion into accommodation.

The open mike nights are likely to move to the Falstaff in King Street, where by coincidence my monthly singaround session in the Guest House originally began many years ago.